Gift Wrapped (1952)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

. . . as he gets to consume THREE yellow canaries (at 2:15, 2:43, and 6:32). Since this is 50% more than the penguin-colored cat's usual "Merrie Melodies" daily minimum protein requirement, it's a merry Yule indeed for Mr. "Suffering Succotash." GIFT WRAPPED extends the origin story begun by Warner Bros. animators in TWEET TWEET TWEETY. The latter episode's feral feline is now domesticated in "Granny's" house. This latter old bat is totally clueless about proper cat care, giving "her" newly-named Sylvester a RUBBER mouse as his holiday gift. "Why couldn't she have given me something practical, like a REAL mouse?" Sylvester laments. Some anonymous benefactor HAS sent "Tweety" to Granny's address, but misdirects this food source Sylvester hatched himself in TWEET TWEET TWEETY to "Granny." When Sylvester tries to rectify this simple mistake, Granny-the-Witch is able to conjure up equally annoying Tweety clones for "her" starving cat to consume with swats of her Magical Broom. Though the animators sketch in an extraneous bulldog for comic relief, GIFT WRAPPED is a generally cheerful tale of festive feline feasting.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes that the Looney Tunes franchise of cartoon shorts are some of the best sources of slapstick comedy in all of cinema. Next to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, another duo that is known for the chase scenario is Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, both of which are performed brilliantly by the man of 1000 voices himself Mel Blanc."Gift Wrapped" is the Christmas-themed Sylvester and Tweety cartoon from 1952. It isn't often that we see a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon that takes place around Christmas time, but in this film, it is the perfect set-up for Sylvester's on-going lust to finally catch and eat Tweety. This is similar to the concept of the 1941 Tom & Jerry short "The Night Before Christmas", in which the famous cartoon duo does their usual shtick in a Christmas setting. But that's another story.Sylvester wakes up on Christmas morning after failing to obtain a single mouse. He finds his present, only to find out it's a rubber mouse. All hope is lost for him, except a moment later, he hears Tweety singing "Jingle Bells". Peeking inside the wrapped cage is his long-awaited snack. However, Granny catches him in the act, and thus the good ol' scheming routine begins, with Sylvester failing every single time, with his only obstacles being Granny (obviously) and eventually a bulldog Sylvester finds in a present most likely for Granny.As I said before, the usual Sylvester and Tweety set-up and having it take place on Christmas day is a unique and welcome idea. The background artwork in the film catches the Christmas atmosphere to a tee, and the animation is top-notch as usual thanks to Friz Freling's (credited as I. Freling in this picture) direction. My only issue is that it could've gone on a little longer, as there were plenty more opportunities to be done. But it's a short film meant to fill in 7 minutes before the beginning of the main feature it's supposed to accompany (most likely a Christmas movie like "Christmas in Connecticut" or "The Shop Around the Corner").All in all, this is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety shorts, because it keeps to the formula while also making it a funny short to watch when it's on television during Christmastime, especially for those whose favorite Looney Tunes are Sylvester and/or Tweety, and I'm not just whistling Dixie, brother. The short alone can also be found on Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection if you are a collector.

Friz Freleng's 'Gift Wrapped' is a decent entry in the lacklustre Tweety and Sylvester series. A Christmas cartoon set entirely in a house on Christmas morning, 'Gift Wrapped' adheres to some pretty standard and not terribly funny jokes involving dynamite and surprisingly effective toy guns. Such gags can be made fresh again with the right execution but in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons Freleng always seemed content to just play them the way they'd already been played a million times before. The addition of Granny and a Bulldog to proceedings adds a little colour and Tweety is not excessively annoying this time round either but the main thing that saves 'Gift Wrapped' from being as weak as the worst Tweety and Sylvester shorts is the impeccably realised festive atmosphere which gives the cartoon a pleasingly cosy feel. I used to love seeing 'Gift Wrapped' at Christmas when I was young and that happy memory has not totally deserted me as I watch it again. But sentiment is not enough to make a great cartoon and 'Gift Wrapped' remains merely OK, a mildly enjoyable trip down memory lane which opens with its best moment ("You just ain't whistling Dixie") and then fails to live up to it.

This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2, it feature Sylvester cat who I like, Tweety bird who I'm not a fan of, and Granny whom I dislike worse then Tweety bird. Needless to say I really didn't care for this cartoon at all. It's nice that it's unedited for once. But couldn't they unedit the audio for "Bugs Bunny Rides Again" which was actually a good cartoon as well, or at least instead of?. Anyway in this short, it's Christmas time in the household and Granny, Tweety, Sylvester, and the Bulldog (for no reason whatsoever) are up to the usual stuff. Blah.My Grade: D